Solutions for energy losses reduction in power networks with renewable energy sources

Currently, major technical challenges linked to the implementation strategy of smart grids are associated with new studies and researches on the impact of renewables energy sources on the parameters of power transmission and distribution networks. Current dedicated softwares permit the modeling and simulation of power distribution structure which includes different types of renewable energy sources. Thus, new analyses on power flow and voltage drops in the power network nodes and on the stability of both the power distribution networks and transport networks can be done. New solutions are proposed to increase energy efficiency by increasing the value of the rated voltage, automation, introduction of system control and reconfiguration of power networks, optimization, demand management, and others. In this paper the influence of grid-connected photovoltaic power plants is modeled and analyzed, using the facilities offered by the NEPLAN software. Power losses analysis is done on a low voltage test network of 16 nodes in the cases when the network with one or two photovoltaic plants connected. The proposed solution, placing the photovoltaic plants in the center of gravity of consumption, reduces power losses by 55.8%.